THE SAN LUIS OBISPO TRIBUNE

July 27, 2006

From 'Graceland' to here

By Patrick S. Pemberton

And then he just joined in. And if it was something he liked, he would stop and say, 'Let's stay in this for a while. I like this groove. There are two distinct phases of Bakithi Kumalo's music career: The one before Paul Simon and the one after.

Before he performed on Simon's groundbreaking 'Graceland' album in 1986, he was unknown outside of South Africa - and on the verge of becoming a full-time mechanic to help support his ailing mother. After 'Graceland,' he would become a sought-after session player in America; he has played for artists such as Diana Ross, Harry Belafonte, Cyndi Lauper, Chaka Khan and Herbie Hancock.

'This to me was like a dream because I was always thinking about becoming a great bass player and coming to America,' Kumalo said. 'The person who made it possible was Paul. If it wasn't for him, I don't know - I don't think I would have been recognized by anybody.'

Kumalo, who is promoting a new solo album, is currently on tour with Simon, who plays the Mid-State Fair on Saturday.

Kumalo grew up in Soweto, a township notorious for the violent repression of black people and later for open resistance to the state-sponsored apartheid. Discrimination limited his schooling options, but thanks to a musical family he picked up several instruments at an early age.

'I started with the saxophone,' said Kumalo, who borrowed instruments from his uncle. 'But (my uncle) liked to drink a lot, and his saxophone used to smell like alcohol.'

So he switched to guitar, then bass. At the age of 7, while selling oranges and newspapers to help support his family, he played his first gig with his uncle's band.

Still, it would take a lot to stand out in South Africa.

'Growing up in Soweto, there were a lot of bass players,' he said. 'One group I played in had five bass players.'

Kumalo can slap and play funky grooves like the best soul and jazz bass players. But he has created his own style by using a fretless bass that offers a trombone-like sound.

That sound was in part what attracted Paul Simon when he visited South Africa in the '80s. Simon was looking for African musicians, and a producer referred him to Kumalo.

'When we met I had no idea who Paul was,' Kumalo said, though he had recognized Simon's '70s classic, 'Mother and Child Reunion.'

When Simon flew Kumalo to New York, it was the bass player's first trip on a plane. Because Simon was seeking a world-music flair, he let Kumalo play what he knew.

'When we met in the studio, I just played some grooves,' Kumalo said. 'And then he just joined in. And if it was something he liked, he would stop and say, 'Let's stay in this for a while. I like this groove?

The 'Graceland' album gave fame to the vocals of South African group Ladysmith Black Mambazo. But Kumalo's bass helped define the Grammy-winning album's sound in songs like 'The Boy in the Bubble,' 'Graceland' and 'Diamonds on the Soles of her Shoes.'

The album's biggest hit - 'You Can Call Me Al' - is a bass showcase with Kumalo's slapping, bouncy bass lines driving the music.

'That was the groove I always liked to play because some of the South African songs have that kind of bass line,' Kumalo said.

Few artists call for such a prominent part from their session bass players (Kumalo even had a brief solo on 'Call Me Al'), so Kumalo knew it had to be good.

'With 'You Can Call Me Al,' it was like, this is the time now I have to play because the world is going to hear this song,' he said. 'And Paul just let me shine on that.'

Kumalo has also recorded three solo albums. His current release, 'Transmigration,' is mostly instrumental, featuring jazz, fusion and a little funk. The final track, 'Africa,' reflects music from his homeland.

While he wants to show that he can play several styles of music, Kumalo said he can't deny his past.

'I'm African,' Kumalo said. 'I'm still going to have my roots, whether I play jazz or I play fusion or whatever.'

In addition to bass, Kumalo plays percussion, keyboards and wood flute on the album. His wife adds vocals and his 10-year-old daughter even plays organ on one song.

'When I was recording the song at home, she was eating upstairs, and she came down and says to me, 'Oh, I like this. I have a part for this.' '

Kumalo now lives with his family in New York, where he keeps busy recording and touring with other artists.

While he's played with many talented musicians, the one who brings out the best in him, he said, is Simon, the rock and roll Hall of Famer who gave him his big break.

'When I play with him, I make sure I play everything I know,' he said. 'I give him 101 percent first because I'm here today because of him.'